Ur doin' it rong, Bangalore

I'm finding my chief annoyance in modern job searching is recruiters who offshore their resume screening calls.

Logic alone would suggest that the people involved in contractor negotiations should understand the delicacy of the process, and that these people should be exceptionally trained up in an appropriate English dialect. Clarity suffers when a firm overlooks either of these points.

I spent last evening and this morning trying to discuss a gig with "John," who must have flunked the dialect lesson, and certainly was slow on the delicacy. First, you can get away with the American name only with the American accent. Just call yourself Jalal and have done with it, 'K? Second, somewhere in the discussion a recruiter should at least allude to the nature of the gig and the sort of firm that's involved. Third, when you say you're going to email a job description, do it. If there is a problem, say, the message bounces, you can call the candidate back and straighten it out.

I am still not sure what the gig is or if he put me in for it, and in fact I've written it off. That's the third such experience I've had in the last month. If the clients of these firms actually don't want to hire anyone, they'd do better to just shut up, like most American companies. This sort of screening, however cheap, costs more than dead silence.

I do enjoy the unintended comedy, and it's encouraging to have even this much recruiter activity. Along with the offshore wonders, I've had several conversations with articulate recruiters who know how to do their job and pay attention to their language skills. I don't much care where they're calling from, as long as they can make the presentation and help me make a decision that doesn't waste my time, theirs, or their customers'.